Painted With Promises
by Crystal Rose of Pollux
Summary: [Takes place between SMB 2 and 3, melds both the old Brooklyn canon and the Yoshi's Island canon] It's not that the brothers weren't grateful that Peach funded the renovation of a small cottage just for them to stay in the Mushroom Kingdom. It's just that it made them miss home, and left them slightly confused as to what "home" was.


_Notes: this is another piece from early in the timeline that I wanted to write; it's a companion piece to a oneshot I wrote last year, "Royals and Loyals" (and references it, but it can still be read independently). Though Toadsworth and Toadette weren't in the early games, I see no reason to assume they weren't running around doing stuff, which is why I have them here; Toadette's role as head of a renovation project is a nod to her role as Chief Builder in Mario Maker 2's story mode._

* * *

Mario's first impressions of Toadsworth had been awash in utter confusion. He hadn't been surprised to see the old Toad so grateful for he and Luigi having rescued the princess—that was, naturally, expected. What he hadn't expected was the sheer euphoria the old Toad had gone into upon hearing their names, being even more overjoyed than before. The princess hadn't expected this, either, if the look on her face was any indication. She let Toadsworth leave for a moment to gather his thoughts and turned to the brothers with a shrug.

They soon forgot about the incident, and quickly turned their attention to the other problem at hand—the warp pipe that the brothers had fallen into from Brooklyn to land them here was no longer working, which meant that getting back to their home had suddenly become a difficult task.

One morning, after breakfast, Peach had eagerly met with the brothers, asking them to accompany her on a walk through the nearby countryside. She seemed excited about something, and the brothers couldn't help but get their hopes up—

"Did you find a way to fix the warp pipe?" Mario asked.

Peach's face fell, slightly.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't—not yet," she said. "But I think we've come up with something to tide us over until then!"

"We?" Luigi asked.

"Toadsworth found it," Peach said. "He asked me to take a look at it, and I think it suits the two of you perfectly! …Oh, look! There it is!"

Mario blinked, not sure what he was supposed to be looking at.

"All I see is that old cottage…"

"Big Bro, I think that's it," Luigi said, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Well, I know it's not much to look at right now," Peach admitted. "But I've already got a team of Toads renovating that into a place for the two of you to stay. It's close enough to the castle, so you can visit any time you like—or I could visit you, too!"

The team of Toads were hard at work as they drew closer to the cottage. A pink Toad with pigtails looked up from a clipboard as they arrived, and she quickly bowed as Peach addressed her.

"Good morning, Toadette," Peach greeted. "How're things going?"

"Couldn't be better, Princess!" Toadette chirruped. "Everything's right on schedule! You and the Mario Brothers can take a look around, if you'd like!"

"That sounds lovely; we will!"

She opened the door; even in the midst of renovations, with the Builder Toads running around, it was clearly a small but comfortable-looking place, with a small hall, a kitchenette, and an alcove that led to the washroom. Above the main floor was a small loft with a window, allowing daylight into the cottage.

"What do you think?" Peach asked the brothers. "If you like it, it's all yours—I'll have the deed written out to you two, and I can even find some furniture! Think of it as a present from me and my people for helping us in our hour of need!"

"You know, this could be really good!" Mario exclaimed, quickly learning to like the place. "And it's even bigger than the apartment back home—and no rent!? What do you think, Little Bro?"

Luigi's response, much to their surprise, was a troubled sigh.

"Luigi?" Mario asked. "C'mon, Bro, what's wrong? Is it all the dust? This is still a work in progress, remember?"

"It's not that," Luigi insisted. "I'm sure it'll turn out great. It's just that… Well, I'd feel awkward, accepting this when we won't be spending that much time in it. We're going home to Brooklyn as soon as we find a way, aren't we? …There _has_ to be a way back, right!?" He sighed again. "It's not that I'm not grateful, Princess… But something about this seems too… permanent."

Ah, of course; his younger brother couldn't help but fall to his anxieties. Mario hoped the princess wouldn't feel insulted; Luigi knew all about dealing with those who weren't very understanding about how his mind worked and worried.

But to Mario's surprise, even as he placed a hand on Luigi's shoulder, Peach did the same to Luigi's other shoulder.

"I understand," Peach said, gently.

"You do?" both brothers asked, in unison.

"Of course I do. I know what it's like, to be taken from the home you love and not knowing if you'll ever see it again. But you saved me from that fate and brought me home, and so, I gave you my word that I would do whatever I could to help you find a way back to your homeland. But I think it would be nice if you still had this place as somewhere to stay when you came back… Well, that is to say, I'd hope that, even after you went home, you might come back here for a visit?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind," Mario said. "The Mushroom Kingdom is a pretty neat place—nothing at all like the city back home. But you don't have to put yourself out personally just to help us find a way back; I know you're the princess, and you must be pretty busy doing all the princess work—whatever that is. You don't need to waste time with two plumbers—Luigi and I can look around for a way back ourselves."

"Part of my royal duties include assisting travelers to my kingdom," Peach said, with a smile. "And besides that, after everything we've been through together, I'd say we're friends, aren't we?"

"Of course we are!" Mario exclaimed, and Luigi nodded in agreement.

"And friends help friends—that's what I want to do," she said. "So, please… Let me help you, just like the two of you helped me."

"Well, if you really want to, then we'll appreciate whatever help you can give us," Mario said.

"Yeah…" Luigi sighed, looking around at the cottage again. "I guess I could learn to like this place in case we can't find a way back…"

"I'm sure we will," Mario assured him. "Even if it takes a while, I know we'll find a way back. And hey… at least we _both_ ended up here." It was something he hadn't really thought about, or wanted to think about; Luigi had been the one to fall through the warp zone first, Mario only falling in after Luigi had frantically grabbed for him—and the warp zone had immediately sealed behind them. If nothing else, Mario was grateful that his brother hadn't been forced to deal with everything on his own, even if he was certain that Luigi would've succeeded regardless.

Luigi was beginning to realize this, as well, and with a sigh, he gave a grateful nod.

And Peach, even only knowing them for a short while, was also grateful that neither of the brothers had to fear being stranded so far from home alone. Nevertheless, it only further convinced her to do her best to help them find a way back.

* * *

Peach was true to her word; knowing that Toadsworth would object, she sent him a note by way of a messenger, announcing that she and Red Toad were accompanying Mario and Luigi in their search for a way back. After much searching, they had finally found a two-way warp pipe that was stable enough to not seal up. Even with it being two-way, leaving the possibility that they could visit each other at any time, it was still a difficult farewell—even for Luigi, who had been the most eager to go back.

Peach remained as serene as she could be for their sakes, not wanting them to see how upset she was and reconsider their homecoming just for that. Even after they had left, she insisted to Toad, who had also been upset at saying goodbye, that she was fine—her friends were home. Of course, she was happy for them! …And of course, she was also sad. Peach was never fond of goodbyes, but it seemed even worse than normal—Mario and Luigi had always been so kind and encouraging, allowing her to be herself for the first time since she could remember. She was even convinced that her magical abilities had grown, as a result of casting aside some of those inhibitions that had been holding her back.

Nevertheless, she was stoic as she returned with Toad back to the castle—at least until she had to pass the cottage on the way back. The Builder Toads had just finished up the work and were moving their equipment out.

"Princess!" Toadette exclaimed. She paused as she saw that the brothers weren't with her. "…Oh."

"It's alright, Toadette," Peach said. "This place needed renovations, and Mario, at least, did sound like he'd consider visiting. He really seemed at ease here, considering it's the first time he must've seen such a place."

"…I don't think it is the first time he's seen the Mushroom Kingdom—Luigi, either," Toadette said. "Um… I don't know how to explain this, but… When we were clearing out the old shelving in there, we found this—I think it must've fallen from a photo album that had been kept here before… before whoever lived here left…"

Puzzled, Peach took the photograph that Toadette offered, and froze as she stared at it.

It was a photograph of three infants—one of them, she recognized as herself. And the other two… Well, they were unmistakable—even without the similar caps that their adult selves wore, red and green—emblemed with an M and an L…

"But… That's you, Princess—with Mario and Luigi! As babies?" Toad asked. "But… how!?"

She couldn't find an answer—but after remembering Toadworth's odd reaction upon hearing Mario and Luigi's names, she knew who would.

She ran back the rest of the way to the castle, not stopping until she had dashed into Toadsworth's room.

"Princess!" he chided. "What was the meaning of running off like that without—?"

"_Why didn't you tell me_!?" she demanded.

Toadsworth was puzzled, at first—at least until she held up the photograph.

At last, the truth came out—Kamek, the Yoshis, Baby Bowser, the Shroobs, and how Mario and Luigi's mother couldn't take it anymore. She and her husband had come from Brooklyn, and had insisted upon returning with their infant sons, for their own safety.

It had taken several weeks for Peach to internalize it all—thankfully, the brothers had both sent letters through the warp pipe, which she answered promptly. She hadn't told them about the photograph or what Toadsworth had told her—or that the little cottage had always truly belonged to them.

Though the letters made no mention of plans to visit, Peach decided that she wasn't going to wait. Freed from several inhibitions, the first thing she did was break off an engagement to some prince from another kingdom—a union that had been arranged in her infancy, and that she'd never had any say in, anyway. Well, she was speaking up now, much to the chagrin of Toadsworth and her father—though there wasn't really anything they could do about it.

She then took the initiative to travel to Brooklyn herself and invite the brothers to the annual Royal Cotillion to dissuade any of the attending princes from bothering her or her longtime friend, Daisy. They had both been receptive to the idea (Mario, naturally, moreso than Luigi), and the evening had been most enjoyable for all of them, even if Daisy's boisterousness seemed to intimidate Luigi.

Once again, the brothers had returned to Brooklyn, and as more weeks went by without any mention of another visit, Peach had begun to wonder if it was time to take the initiative again. It was such a conflicting dilemma—the brothers had a right to know about their past, but if their mother had kept this from them all this time, who was Peach to suddenly spring this all on them?

To clear her head, she ended up wandering to the old cottage, this time, alone. Perhaps she shouldn't have insisted on it, but Bowser hadn't been heard from in a long while. And she wasn't far from the castle, anyway; the cottage was a nice place to get away for a while and gather her thoughts together.

But as she opened the door, she paused. The cottage had been unfurnished since the renovations had been complete, as the existing furniture had been so old—but now, as she opened the door, Peach saw that the cottage was now decorated with brand-new furniture, decorated in red and green. And by the door was the basil plant that she had seen in the brothers' plumbing shop back in Brooklyn.

She was still taking it all in as she heard voices behind her—

"We could've just brought one of the lamps from Brooklyn instead of buying a new one…"

"Mario, come on—plugs aren't even the same in different countries on Earth; you think they'll be the same here?"

"…Oh, good point. Well, at least the plumbing was just as simple—the sink was a breeze to set up… Oh, hi, Peach!"

"Hi, Peach!" Luigi said, looking more cheerful than Peach had seen him in a long time. In fact, he seemed just as at ease as he'd been when she'd visited them in Brooklyn…

"Hi," she said, trying to keep her emotions under control. "You're… moving in?"

"Yup!" Mario said, cheerily. "We had such fun at the Cotillion, especially meeting some of those people—Link, Marth, that other Link, Zelda, that other Zelda…"

"And the other Link and Zelda…" Luigi added.

"Yes, I did mention about how there are multiple warp pipes leading to different times and eras of Hyrule…" Peach said, slightly amused. "I'm glad you both had such a good time!" She indicated the new furniture. "So… All of this…?"

"We bought it Toad Town," Mario said. "Everyone is still so grateful for helping you and helping to free the Kingdom…"

"Discount City," Luigi said, as he took the new lamp up the stairs to the loft before jumping back down. "Business has been kinda slow back in Brooklyn, so Mario and I got to talking… This place really _has_ grown on us."

"Yeah, since you had this place all set up for us, we thought it'd be a shame to just let it get abandoned again…" Mario shrugged. "…It really does feel like a second home! So, we're just going to split our time here and there for now!"

She wanted to tell them—but this just wasn't the time or place. Maybe someday… but not now.

For now, she would just cherish having her friends close once again. That was the most important thing.

"Well, then," she said, drawing them both into a hug. "Welcome home!"


End file.
